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MRP deal politicised: India
KATHMANDU, APR 13 -
India on Tuesday expressed its displeasure over the fallout of the Machine Readable Passport (MRP) deal with Nepal, saying that the MRP issue has been politicised in Nepal, according to a senior government official.
India also expressed concern that “confidential communication from the embassy has been publicised.”
This was in reference to the letter dispatched by Indian Ambassador to Nepal Rakesh Sood to Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala that was leaked to the press.
“It is a matter of regret that the issue has been politicised in Nepal and confidential communication from the Embassy has been publicised,” said an Indian Embassy statement issued here on Tuesday.
“The arrangements agreed with the Government of Nepal would have allowed it to issue MRPs by early June 2010. To ensure this, SPMCIL and the Government of India have already initiated action,” the statement added.
The Indian displeasure comes two days after the government shelved the controversial passport deal amid widespread pressure from various quarters, including the Parliament, the Supreme Court (SC) and the prime minister’s own party, CPN-UML. Indian Ambassador Sood met Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal on Tuesday morning and lodged his “serious dissatisfaction over the issue,” the government official said.
The one-on-one meeting, mostly defying the diplomatic protocol and without the customary presence of Foreign Ministry officials, was to express his displeasure, officials said.
Indian embassy officials, the Prime Minister’s advisers and the foreign ministry officials would not share the details of the meeting between Prime Minister Nepal and Ambassador Sood. In a statement issued on behalf of the Government of India, the Indian embassy said that India remains committed to strengthening ties with Nepal, which have withstood the test of time.
“India agreed to supply the MRPs, booklets through its government undertaking, Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India (SPMCIL), at a concessional price, as a gesture of goodwill and in keeping with the friendly relations between the two countries,” the statement reads further.
In spirit of mutual cooperation, the Indian government further agreed to provide, at its cost, technical assistance, which included supply of software and hardware equipment, installation of these equipment at the Central Passport Office in Kathmandu and training of Nepali officials for personalisation of MRPs, the statement said.
SC defers hearing
The SC on Tuesday instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to submit all related dossiers on MRP to the court by April 26. “It means it will take more time,” an official said. A bench comprising Justices Ram Prasad Shrestha and Prem Sharma asked the foreign ministry to submit all dossiers related to MRP, Hemanta Rawal, the court’s joint spokesperson, said.
Posted on: 2010-04-14 07:02
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